Light Casts a Shadow
by MagicalPuttemtator
Summary: Before the time skip, Sting Eucliffe was a 12- year old boy aimlessly wandering around the continent of Fiore all by himself. He didn't know where to go and had no dreams or goals whatsoever. The day he randomly approached the town of Hargeon, would be the day that changed his life... the day he met Blondie... R
1. Fateful Encounter

**A/N: **So umm... Hi Fan Fiction! To tell you the truth, this is my first story in this particular fandom. I've read so many other FT stories and this whole StingxLucy plot popped out of my head! I have a feeling that this story will even make those hardcore NaLu fans sit back in awe. :3 *MWHAHAHAHA-Cough*

**Genres:** This story also consists Friendship, Humor, Drama, & Adventure (Along with Romance & Hurt/Comfort)

Fun Facts: X784 is one year after Lucy had run away from home (as stated in FT wikia). Hargeon is also the town where Lucy meets Natsu and later joins Fairy Tail.

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**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does.

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**LIGHT CASTS A SHADOW**

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**Chapter 1: FATEFUL ENCOUNTER**

In the year X784, Sting Eucliffe was a twelve year old boy aimlessly wandering around the continent of Fiore all by himself. He didn't know where to go. He had no dreams and no goals whatsoever. The day he randomly approached the town of Hargeon, would be the day he would never forget. The day he met 'Blondie'.

Hargeon, the fishing town, was the crossroads of all travelers. Hargeon is most famously known for its port and only ten percent of the entire population were mages. Sting wandered around the town minding his own business when he accidentally bumped into a small group of shady men. He shrugged it off and continued walking away. He took a step forward, but was halted when a pair of strong hands gripped his scrawny shoulders.

"HEY!" A huge man shook him, "When you bump into someone, you're supposed to say: _sorry_."

He wouldn't apologize.

_Never._

Sting looked away from the enraged man, but was suddenly shoved to the ground. The man's clench tightened with each passing second. "No one bumps into the Bacchus Thieves Guild and gets away with it!" He hissed. Sting knew he could easily defend himself from the assaulters, but he swore to himself that he would never use his magic to harm other people _ever again_. He helplessly stared at the ground as they started kicking him in the gut and spitting on him.

The leader positioned his foot atop of his head. "What's the matter kid?" He mocked, "Aren't you gonna cry?"

"Tch." Sting clicked his tongue. His pride would never allow it.

"You're starting to piss me off, kid." He slowly applied pressure to his foot. It infuriated the band of thugs even more when the kid refused to show any signs of pain.

Sting closed his eyes and waited for them to stop. He didn't want to fight anymore. He just wished that they would leave him alone. They threatened to cut him, but stopped when a blonde girl turned to face them.

"Release that boy right this instant!" She demanded. She wore light traveling clothes and a short blue skirt stopping at her mid-thighs. Her blonde hair was tied into a side ponytail, pinned down by a blue ribbon. She pointed at them with a small golden key, with her other hand ready to grab for a whip fastened at her waist. The group of thugs did release the boy, but their attention immediately diverted from him and focused onto the blonde teen. They quickly encircled her, laughing their heads off.

"Look boys!" The leader announced, "We found a pretty little girl . . ."  
"Pretty!" They stupidly echoed, "Pretty!"

Lucy shuddered, crept out by the idea of what they were planning to do with her. Sting examined the girl and noticed that she was 3 or 4 years older than him. _Why didn't she run?_ He thought to himself. He looked at her face, and expected to see a frightened expression, but was surprised to see her look so calm. She waved her key around in the air and chanted, "Open—Gate of the Giant Crab: Cancer!"

All their jaws dropped when they saw a human-like crab appear from a magic circle. "How would you like your hair done today-ebi?" The crab snipped with a pair of scissors in each hand.

Sting was even more shocked when it ended its sentence with '_ebi_', meaning 'shrimp'. The blonde teen sighed, "Cancer, we're in a middle of a fight. Send these perverts to their maker!"

"Okay-ebi." Cancer darted pass each of the thugs like a blur, and then dashed back to its owner.

The leader looked around trying to spot any changes in the environment. "Nothing happened." He replied confusedly. Cancer then snipped his scissors, _***Snip***_ and numerous, tiny cuts appeared on each thug. What was even more astonishing was that they were completely—

"BALD!" The grunts screeched. They squealed away in terror as they tried to cover their smooth, naked heads. The leader reached to feel his own luscious hair, only to have the same reaction as the others. During this confusion, the blonde teen sprinted towards the large man.

"Lucy . . ." She muttered as she jumped high into the air, "KICK!"

She landed perfectly back onto her feet as she kicked the leader, who fell to the ground. She smiled back at her companion who nodded in return. "I shall take my leave-ebi." The crab disappeared.

Sting smirked as Lucy turned to look at him with a huge grin. Sting eyed the large man and noticed his feet stirring. A reflected light shined in his face as noticed a metal blade within the man's hand. The girl casually walked over to him, unaware of the danger.

"Are you okay—Kyaaaaaaa!" Lucy screamed as the bald man grabbed her from behind. His arm wrapped around her neck with a dagger pointed directly at her artery. "You let your guard down!" he laughed maniacally.

Sting's body reacted by itself. Before he knew it, he rushed to the girl's side at the speed of light and launched himself at the bald man. Sting's hand blazed with a glowing, white aura and he slashed the leader with a holy strike, "White Dragon's Claw!" The man choked on the air and withdrew his vicious grip on the girl, losing consciousness.

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Sting's eyes widened in shock when 'Blondie' ran up to him and examined his bruises, but he kept to himself. He didn't trust anyone. He forcefully shoved her away and she staggered backwards in surprise. She tripped on her own feet and stumbled into a puddle of muddy water.

Lucy glared at him furiously, "Why you…"

Sting cringed a little and eyed the blonde girl guiltily. Of course he didn't mean it, but he was too thick-headed to apologize, "I didn't need your help!"

Lucy stood up, completely drenched. Her white shirt was now stained with mud. "You ungrateful, little brat… They were beating you up!" She pointed out the obvious, "You could seriously be injured! And now I'm all wet!"

"A strong mage like me wouldn't have needed help from a stupid _blondie _like you." He announced coldly.

He looked away from her, expecting her to back off, but he instead felt someone roughly grab onto his hand. "Take me to your parents!" She huffed angrily, "You really need to learn how to treat people with _respect_."

Sting didn't know why, but he let the girl pull him away as she continued to scold him on and on. She brushed some of the dirt off her skirt, "…Now, where do you live?"

Sting uncomfortably looked away from her gaze, reluctant to answer her question.

Lucy almost yelled out loud in public, losing her patience, "I asked you a question!"

Sting's stomach growled loudly, but he continued to look away, slightly embarrassed.

This didn't go unnoticed. Lucy paused to take a closer look at him— His uncombed spiky, blonde hair jutted outward in every direction and the dirty T-shirt and oversized pants he was wearing were falling apart. Feeling concerned, she looked deep into his ocean blue eyes and saw emptiness. Now that she really thought about it, he really did look a homeless kid.

"Are you hungry?" She asked with a soother tone in her voice.

Sting pulled away from her, not answering any of her questions. "Don't you dare pity me, you stupid _Blondie_!" he angrily spat out, avoiding to see the look in her eyes.

Lucy was about to say something, but she hesitantly closed her mouth. She took the boy's hand again, and gently led him across the town.

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The sudden silence between the two frightened Sting.

"Where are you taking me?" He trembled. When she didn't answer, he began to feel more anxious and nervous. He felt fear and panic swirl inside of him, "I-I'm warning you, I c-could kill you right now if I have to!"

Lucy remained silent and continued to pull him by her side.

Sting couldn't bear the eerie silence any longer. "Let go, you stupid Blondie!" He yelled, trying to yank his hand away from her.

Lucy stopped and looked at him with caring, brown eyes. "You don't have a home, do you?" She questioned. Sting gaped at her in shock as he stopped pulling his hand away. Her cheerful smile eased him, "Don't worry, I've runaway from home too."

The boy blinked in surprise. "Huh?"

"You're not alone anymore." She smiled as she gently poked his little nose with her finger. A small pink tinge blushed onto the boy's pale cheeks.

Lucy laughed as his face reddened. "I have lots of food at my apartment. I'm going to teach you how to treat people with respect." She winked.

Sting was puzzled. He was torn between either running away, or following her. _It couldn't hurt just to stay a little bit_… "Whatever, Blondie." He rolled his eyes and tried to act annoyed.

Lucy smiled to herself, noticing that he dropped the 'stupid'.

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They walked into her small apartment and sat at the kitchen table. Lucy rummaged her fridge and gathered piles of food onto the table. Drool etched from the corner of the boy's mouth.

"Well?" She smiled teasingly, "Go ahead and dig in."

Sting didn't hesitate. He attacked the food right away. He chewed on the meat with his canine-like teeth. He crammed handfuls of food in his mouth aggressively, forgetting to swallow. Bits of food were flying everywhere as he noticed that the blonde mage was chuckling at him.

"What's so funny, Blondie?" He spat out with food in his mouth. He hated it when people were watching him, especially when he was eating. It felt like they were making fun of him.

"You're just so cute when you eat." She giggled.

Weak and innocent things, like small bunny rabbits, filled his mind. "I am NOT cute!" His lips tugged into a small pout. He was amazed and stunned… No one had ever called him _cute_ before.

Lucy laughed as his ears reddened, "So what's your name?"

Sting planned not to respond to any of her questions. He couldn't allow himself to feel so attached to someone who thought that he was cute. It would only stir up trouble later if he stayed with this _Blondie_.

Sting ignored his thoughts about her and gulped down his food. He mustered all his willpower to concentrate on eating.

"My name is Lucy, by the way, so stop calling me _Blondie_. Don't you find it weird to call me 'Blondie', when you're a blonde too?"

The boy ignored her question, but she continued talking.

"May I ask where you are from?"

Sting said nothing. He stared forlornly at his food.

"I'm sorry, but did you runaway too?" She asked cautiously, "As I mentioned earlier… I've runaway from home. But, I'm old enough to take care of myself now." She crossed her arms and tilted her head, "It's just that… you're so young and you shouldn't be all alone by yourself at this age… Your parents must be worried sick about y—"

"They're dead." Sting stood from his seat, his eyes shadowed by his messy blonde hair. "I-I killed them."

_I definitely did it this time..._

Another dead-like silence bore between them. Before she even had the chance to speak, he ran over to the door and grabbed the handle. He just didn't have the courage to hear what she had to say.

Before he could rush out the door, he saw Lucy run over to him. A wave of confusion washed over his body as the celestial mage hugged him tightly.

His hand released the door handle as he stood there, shocked by her tears. _She's not scared of me?_ He thought. "W-why—"

"When I was younger, I used to think like that too." She replied sadly, "Ever since my mom died... I always thought that it was my fault…and I blamed everything on me—" Lucy clutched him even closer and they stared at each other face-to-face. "—but when I look at you… I can see me myself from six years ago."

A new feeling awakened inside Sting. Something in him had clicked. After all those years of wandering alone in darkness, hunted by loneliness and guilt, he hadn't felt _it_ in years. The empty void in his heart. Not filled by darkness—but from the kindness of others.

A tear crept out of his eye, without realizing it. Lucy immediately released her hug and started pulling on the ends of her hair a bit sheepishly. She laughed nervously, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

_Why is she apologizing to me?_ He smirked at the thought. Then the corner of his mouth twitched a little. "…It's fine." He gave her a genuine smile.

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Lucy remembered that she had bought some old clothes that didn't fit her a long time ago. She rummaged her closet and found a white t-shirt, a sleeveless orange jacket, and some baggy pants. She caught the boy by surprise and tried to undress him. She lifted up his shirt, but he squirmed away defensively.

"H-hey!" He hugged himself, "I-I can change by myself!"

She burst in laughter as he blushed furiously. "It might be a little too big for you, but we'll get you some new clothes tomorrow in the morning."

Sting's face continued reddening, but stopped when he remembered that he couldn't allow himself to feel so attached. It would only hurt more if he decided to stay any longer.

"Yeah…"

"Ne, I forgot that you got me all wet… I'm going to take a quick shower." She walked into the bathroom and smiled deviously. "No peeking~"

"W-what makes you think I'd do that, Blondie!" He roared ferociously as she snickered from behind the door.

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Sting hesitantly took off his uncomfortable old clothes and put on the new ones that Lucy had given him. _They're so… soft._ Sting thought to himself, feeling the velvet-like interior brush against his skin.

He looked around the room and noticed all the novels and magazines lying around on the floor. He opened the one closest to him to a random page and saw two adults in a peculiar sight. The woman's hand was placed onto his heart, and the man was brushing her hair out of her eyes. They stared, transfixed by each other's gaze. Sting's eyes widened as he saw their lips touching.

He quickly shut the magazine and threw it across the room. His mind felt like it was internally scarred. He _did not_ need to see that. "Does that blondie really like that sort of stuff?" He asked no one in particular.

He threw himself onto the bed exhaustedly. He let out a huge yawn and noticed how extremely comfy it was. He laid his head on the pillow, and before he knew it, he couldn't pull himself back up.

_Blink._

His eyes dreamily floated around the room. His perfect vision was gradually becoming blurrier with each passing second. He decided that he would only close his eyes for just a few seconds, _and then_ he would get up again.

Minutes passed and he found himself deep in slumber.

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Lucy finally came out of the warm shower, dressed in some pajamas. She noticed that the boy was lying on her only bed fast asleep. The clothes she had given him fit him well. She had to admit that he looked too cute when he wasn't being so arrogant.

_Well, there's no way I'm sleeping on the ground, _she heaved a heavy sigh. She quietly stepped into her bed and tucked the boy snugly inside the warm blanket. Sting smiled in his sleep and unconsciously shifted closer to her. Lucy felt a warm feeling surge inside her chest, and she embraced him in his slumber.

She took her other hand and traced along the scar above his right eye. She felt the boy shudder from her touch, so she leaned closer to him. Their silhouettes bathed in the serene moonlight, steadily breathing ever so gently.

"…good night." She whispered inaudibly.

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**A/N:** D-did you like it? Was it too long, or too short? I'm freaking out as I'm typing this. Were the StiCy moments okay? I worked really hard on perfecting the story and it took me DAYS just to make the title cover in paint. ;c

So, if you liked it, or _hated_ it, please... tell me your thoughts! Seeing massive Favorites, Follows, and Reviews make me feel _'All Fired Up!'... _haha ^^; It also motivates me more to continue writing. If you let me hear your thoughts, I can actually feel good about myself and my writing. SO please review, notify me of errors and such, and I promise that each chapter will be better than the last!

I need all the support I can get! _~Magical Puttemtator_


	2. Mark of the Fairy

**A/N**: Hey FanFiction! My heart literally skipped a beat when I saw all the massive numbers. I was like O.O

Thanks you so much for leaving reviews! It totally made my day. Even one measly review gets me all excited! All those things you guys said made me feel so _fluffy_ inside! SO many people said it was 'CUTE'! And thanks for all the follows and favorites, they encouraged me to update as soon as possible. ^-^

I hope this chapter will make you feel happy! :3 My responses to some of the unique reviews will be located at the bottom Author Notes. And I apparently have a couple of French Fans. XD

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**DISCLAIMER:** I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does.

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**LIGHT CASTS A SHADOW**

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**Chapter 2: MARK OF THE FAIRY**

The sunrise appeared, lying upon the horizon. The light shone brightly through the windows, piercing through the dark shadows within the tiny apartment. Sting sat up in the bed and rubbed his eyes. This was probably the first time in months since he actually had a whole night's worth of sleep.

It took a while for his eyes to adjust to the cheery brightness of the room. He tried getting up, but he noticed that the blonde mage was sleeping right next to him. She was practically leaning on top of him with her chin resting atop of his shoulders. They only met the day before, but how could she trust him so easily to even sleep next to him?

Sting rolled his eyes, as he stared uneasily at the ceiling, _Why is that Blondie even sleeping next to me?_ Well, he was her guest after all. And it was her bed in the first place. Even though he was stuck with her ever since they had met, he had never come to the realization that she was _pretty_.

He listened, fascinated by how softly she breathed while sleeping. He felt uncomfortable lying next to her, so he tried sliding out of her grasp, but her warm embrace pinned him down closer to her. Unable to move, Sting found himself stuck in her arms, facing her large chest.

Sting didn't know why he felt so embarrassed, but he tried looking away. He instead found himself carefully observing her face, memorizing every single detail. It bothered him how the loose strands of her hair matted to her face, partially blocking his view. He unconsciously brushed aside her bangs to get a clearer glimpse.

He stared at her, dumbfounded by her beautiful complexion. He was completely absorbed; her warm breaths made him shiver. Her gentle touch made him feel so… out of it. He gazed at her, barely a few inches away from her face… Her eyes were gently closed and her mouth hung slightly open… He was only a centimeter away when her brown eyes suddenly shot open.

"Aiiiiiiiieeeeeee!" Lucy shrieked in terror and kicked the _trespasser_ into the wall upon instinct.

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Lucy helped Sting up into a sitting position as he massaged his head.

"This is why you need to learn how to treat people with _respect_." She scolded him, "If you invade other people's personal space, you'll end up with something _worse_ than a tiny bump on your head."

Sting had recalled being in worse injuries, but he had to admit that it did hurt a little when the blonde mage had kicked him into the wall. He didn't even know what he did so wrong. After all, she was the one who slept next to him.

Lucy clasped her hands together in excitement. "Oh, I completely forgot to tell you last night!" She squealed, "We got a lot of money for turning in that thug from yesterday!"

"Eh?"

"It turns out that the guy we turned into the town guard yesterday was actually the leader of some band that had been terrorizing this town! There are very few mages in Hargeon, so no one had been able to stop them."

"So we helped the citizens of the town?"

"Well yeah… But more importantly, I finally have enough money to buy a brand new gate key from the town's magic shop!" Lucy's eyes sparkled.

Sting felt his sweat drop as she slowly started drifting off into her own little world, chatting away. He remained sitting on the ground, watching her skip around the room as if she was dancing in a field of flowers. He had a small attention span, but he listened intently to her goal of becoming the greatest celestial spirit mage.

The idea of making friends with spirits who would never leave her side astounded him. Lucy treated her spirits as friends and not as tools for fighting. When she cried, they could feel her sorrow and when she laughed, they could feel her joy. With friends by her side, she never suffered alone.

Lucy finally stopped daydreaming and changed into her traveling clothes. She hummed happily out the door with a grin stretched across her face, "Let's go shopping!"

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Sting was forced to go on a mild shopping spree with Lucy, but it wasn't like he had anything better to do. He strode behind her with his hands inside his pockets as they finally exited the magic shop.

Lucy had managed to buy the gate key of the dog constellation, but when she tried seducing the shop keeper to lower the price, she miserably failed.

"He only lowered it by 1,000 jewel… Is that the most my feminine charm is worth?" Lucy angrily stormed ahead as Sting steadily paced behind her.

"We still have plenty of money left." Sting reminded her bluntly.

"Yeah, but only 1,000 jewel?!" Lucy retorted with a vein popping out of her head, "That guy wouldn't know true beauty if it slapped him across the face—"

Sting continued walking behind her, ignoring her noisy rant, until a bunch of girls sprinted past them squealing.

"The famous wizard is here!"  
"Mr. Salamander!"

Sting looked at Lucy a little confused, but was surprised to see her staring off into space again._ Well, talk about mood swings…_

"The Salamander?" Lucy thought out loud. Then a twinkle of excitement shone in her eye, "Wait, the famous wizard who doesn't use magic you can get in stores—He's in this town?!"

Sting didn't even have time to express his annoyance when she grabbed his hand and thrust themselves into the band of screaming girls.

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A mob of fangirls crowded around the old man.

"You're so dreamy!"  
"Please burn me!"

Sting eyed Lucy carefully. She was acting very strangely when she first saw that man with the flowing blue hair. He swore he could hear her heart thumping out of her chest. He didn't know why, but the way she stared at the old man made him feel mad. Was he being… jealous?

"Oi, Blondie!" He tried getting her attention, but was completely ignored.

He tried pulling her away from the crowd, but she wouldn't budge. It was if she was transfixed or something. That old man obviously did something.

Sting watched Lucy's eyes pop into hearts and she started hopping towards the 'Salamander'. Sting had just about enough. He was about to charge through the mob of crazy fangirls and confront the old man, until someone beat him to it.

"Igneel!" A teenager with pink hair and a blue cat stumbled towards the old man and stared at him for a few seconds. He blinked, "Who are you?"

The man with blue hair jumped back in disbelief. He quickly flipped his hair to the side with hand. When he raised his hand, a shiny gold ring reflected a light into Sting and Lucy's eyes. Sting sensed a weird tension in the air and saw the hearts in Lucy's eyes shatter.

"Would the name "Salamander" ring a bell?" the man smirked. He was dumbstruck when he saw the boy already walking away.

The fangirls glared at the boy for completely ignoring the Salamander. They charged up to him and started beating him up to a pulp, until the Salamander said that he needed to go. He invited everyone present to a party on his boat that night and he flew away on a carpet made of flames.

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"Who was that guy?" Natsu rubbed his head.

"It turns out it wasn't Igneel after all." Happy sighed.

Sting followed Lucy as she went up to the guy with pink hair and waved to him. "That guy was a creep." She flashed a smile, "Thanks for the help."

Natsu stared at her, "Huh?"

_~And then~_

Lucy took them all to a nearby restaurant as a sign of thanks. Sting, Natsu, and Happy were chowing down all the food in sight. They had already finished over 50 courses.

"My name is Lucy," She forced a smile, "It's nice to meet you!"

Lucy watched the three of them eat away all her money. They were monsters…

She tried starting another conversation, "Umm, Natsu and Happy, was it?"

"You're really nice!" Natsu roared.

"Aye!" the blue cat echoed.

"Okay, just slow down a little," She laughed nervously as a piece of meat stuck to her face, "Stuff is flying everywhere…" _Well there goes all our reward money…_ She thought darkly.

"You see, that Salamander guy was using a charm spell." She explained, "It can attract people to the holder, even against their will. But I broke free from the spell thanks to you guys barging in! So this is my thanks."

The only way to break free from a charm spell is to become aware of it. When the light, reflected from the Salamander's golden ring, flashed into Lucy's eyes, she noticed the charm and became aware of the spell, thus breaking free.

"Such a creep, using magic to become popular..."

"—I see."

"Believe it or not, I'm actually a wizard myself!"

"—Oh, yeah?"

"But I haven't managed to join a guild yet."

Sting stopped eating and turned to look at her with a puzzled look on his face. "What's a guild?"

"Oh, guilds are organizations where wizards gather to share information and find work. You can't be considered a full-fledged wizard unless you're in a guild…" She again stared off into space and clasped her hands in excitement, "There are lots of guilds around the world, but the one I want to join has a lot of strong wizards in it!"

Sting stared at his food again, _strong…_

Happy looked at the two blondes and noticed that the boy was much younger than the noisy girl. "Are you guys, brother and sister?"

Sting's gaze immediately shot up at the cat, "N-no, we're just—"

Lucy covered his mouth and laughed, "Yup, I'm his big sister!"

Sting was enraged. He dragged the blondie with him underneath the table. Natsu and Happy looked at each other and shrugged. They continued to stuff their faces with food.

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"_Why_ would you say that?" Sting whispered as he shot her a deadly glare.

"Now, now…" Lucy smiled innocently, "It's disrespectful to drag your Onee-_chan_ underneath the table."

"You're not my sister!" He roared, "You're just a… stupid blondie!" He stood up suddenly and bumped his head under the table. He massaged his head in pain.

"Aww, you're just so cute!" Lucy squeezed his cheeks. Sting flinched at the word 'cute'. "Ne, since you won't call me by my name, I suppose you'll just have to call me Onee-_chan_ from now on."

"Like hell I will, _Blondie_." He spat out.

"Onee-_chaaan_." She squeezed harder as she emphasized the word.

Sting rubbed his cheeks as they got up from underneath the table. Natsu and Happy were still munching on their food as if nothing happened. Lucy grabbed all her _precious_ reward money and set it on the table.

"Well, we should be going. Enjoy your food." Lucy and Sting began walking out of the diner.

Before they could exit the door, they saw Natsu and Happy bowing on the ground before her, catching everyone's attention. "Thank you for the food!"

"Stop it, you're embarrassing me!" Her face flustered as she earned weird gazes from the other customers, "It's okay, you helped me, so now we're even." She took Sting by his hand and they ran out of the diner.

"We weren't really trying to help her though..." Natsu sighed.

"Aye, I still feel indebted…" Happy said glumly.

They sat on the ground, still thinking.

"We'll pay her back somehow!"

"Aye!"

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Night had already fallen and Sting was sitting on a hill, overlooking the sea. Regret struck his face as he remembered the occurring events.

After they had exited the restaurant, he and Lucy were walking though the park until that Salamander guy jumped out of the bushes and confronted them. Lucy stated firmly that she was aware of his charm and the spell wouldn't work on her.

However, that old geezer was eavesdropping on their conversation about guilds. Once he mentioned Fairy Tail, she became dead silent. Lucy agreed to come to his boat party on one condition: He would put a good word for her in Fairy Tail.

Sting remembered when Lucy asked if he wanted to come onto the boat too, but what she didn't know about him was that he had extreme motion sickness. He told her that he just couldn't. She patted his head and he looked into her comforting gaze. _'This may be the only chance I get to join Fairy Tail!'_ She promised him he'd be back by the time the party was over.

He watched the large party boat float further and further away, but something wasn't right. The party should have ended already.

"Hey, it's you!" Natsu pointed at him. He jogged up to him and sat beside him, "Say, where's your sister? I thought she'd be with you."

"She's not my— ugh, never mind…" Sting sighed. The boat looked so much smaller from farther away.

"Is something wrong?" He asked.

Sting was reluctant at first, but talking made him feel a little better. "…It's just that…" Sting explained everything that had happened up to this point. When he finished, Natsu's expression frightened him. His shadowed eyes gleamed under his messy pink hair. He looked dead serious.

"Lucy's in danger." He murmured.

Sting's eyes widened in shock. The tone in Natsu's voice just sounded so grave. He _couldn't_ be lying. His body started quaking. That blondie was in trouble, and he wouldn't be there to save her. He should have agreed to come with her, despite his motion sickness. If anything happens to her, it would be his fault.

Natsu took Sting by the shoulders and stared into his eyes, "Don't worry… I'll get her back." He gave him a heart-felt smile, "Happy!"

"Aye sir!" Happy sprouted wings and carried Natsu to the boat.

Sting could only watch as an ant-sized Natsu flew all the way to the boat on the horizon. Minutes passed and a huge wave swept the boat crashing into the shore.

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"You're a Fairy Tail wizard?" Natsu glared at the Salamander.

"Yeah, so what?" The man smirked. He sent a full blazing fireball hurtling towards Natsu, "GIGA PROMINENCE!" The large flame completely enshrouded him, burning him to a crisp.

"Natsu!" Sting yelled, running onto the beach as Lucy placed her hands over her mouth. Happy snickered, which made the two glare at him furiously.

"Why are you laughing, you dumb cat?!" Lucy yelled, "Isn't he your friend?"

"I should have mentioned this earlier, but Natsu's a wizard too." Happy replied. "Fire doesn't work on him."

The fire dissipated as Natsu engulfed the flames. His coat was burned off, revealing a red emblem on his right shoulder.

"The mark of the Fairy…" Lucy's eyes widened.

Natsu glared at the false Salamander indignantly. "I am Natsu of Fairy Tail. And I have never seen you before in my life!"

"Wha-?!" The man stuttered in shock.

"Fairy Tail!?" She gasped, "Natsu's a Fairy Tail wizard?!"

"I don't care if you're a good guy or a bad guy… But I won't let you tarnish Fairy Tail's name!" His voice thundered.

Sting watched Natsu battle the old man with a newfound respect. His eyes lightened as he saw his brilliant flames sear against his opponent. He had finally had someone to look up to. He watched his new role model clash with flames clenched in each of his hands.

"Natsu-san…"

Natsu readied a final attack, "Fire Dragon's…" He fists blazed with fire, "IRON FIST!" The false Salamander was punched in the gut and sent flying into the town's bell tower.

"That was great…" Lucy stared in awe. Half of the town was already destroyed. "But don't you think he went a little overboard!?"

A squadron of the Magic Council's guards came rushing into the demolished town of Hargeon. Their suits of armor clanked in rhythm as the stomped up the streets. Amazed, Sting watched his new hero turn to look at him and Lucy.

"Crap, the Magic Council's here!" Natsu took both of their hands and swiftly dashed out of the town, "RUN!"

"EHHHHHHHHH?" Lucy stammered as she and Sting chased after him. "Why do _we_ have to?"

Natsu gave her a puzzled look, "You guys wanna join our guild, don't you?!"

Time seemed to slow down as Natsu turned to look at them. Lucy and Sting were breathless when his welcoming presence dawned upon them.

"Come on!" He smiled brightly.

Lucy and Sting nodded at each other, "Aye!"

The four figures ran away from the town, laughing happily in the cool night air. This was just the beginning of a new adventure.

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**A/N**: So, do you think Sting will join Fairy Tail? Please review! (ReViEwS mAkE Me HaPpY 0.o)

I was sort of following episode one of fairy tail, so I couldn't really make it feel original. I apologize if this didn't turn out as well as the first chapter, but it will only get better.

Also, if you have any future ideas, please feel free to post them into your review! Also, please leave your thoughts! I have the next chapter planned out, but I sometimes suffer from Writer's block. DX

Seeing massive reviews/favorites/follows makes me all _'All Fired Up!' _*Telling me to update tends to make me update.

Review Responses:

LightandDarkHeart - Your 'big sister' comment gave me the onee-chan idea!

blog-heart-slover - Thx so much for answering my ridiculous questions! It made me feel happy :D

CiafiHOLIC - Your comment actually meant a lot! I hope you review even more frequently XD

To French Readers - Différentes langues font exploser mon cerveau. . Mais encore vraiment excitant!

Thanks to everyone else that said it was cute! or amazing! or UPDATE NOW! Byez :D


	3. Celestial Promise

**A/N: **Hey FanFiction! This chapter was reeeeaaallly hard for me to write, LIKE REALLY HARD! I tried my best and I hope you will enjoy it ^-^

Keep in mind that I try to post new chapters on Saturday-Sunday every 1-2 weeks.

**Genres:** Remember that this story also consists Friendship, Humor, Drama, & Adventure (Along with Romance & Hurt/Comfort)

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**DISCLAIMER:** I don't own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does.

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**LIGHT CASTS A SHADOW**

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**Chapter 3: CELESTIAL PROMISE**

Night had already fallen by the time the group had finally reached Magnolia. Magnolia, the merchant city, has been prosperous in magic since the ancient era and is not too far to the north of Hargeon and the sea. Its reputation was supported by the fact that the town houses the strongest Guild in Fiore, _Fairy Tail_.

Sting was overwhelmed by his surroundings. The street lamps shone as bright as stars, illuminating the city. Underneath the ledge of the sidewalk was a small river streaming from the ocean. Many of the men on their fishing boats waved to them as they walked by.

Lucy noticed that Sting and Natsu were getting closer to each other ever since they had departed from Hargeon. It delighted her when she saw the young boy laughing and smiling. He and Natsu already seemed like they knew each other since forever.

"What's your name?" Natsu asked him. Lucy raised an eyebrow. She was interested in finding out his name too. It sort of bothered her that she didn't know what to call him.

Sting blinked at his question. He completely forgot that he still hadn't introduced himself after all this time. "I'm Sting… Sting Eucliffe."

"Sting, huh?" Natsu rubbed the back of his head, "Well, once we reach our guild, we'll get you guys to join Fairy Tail!"

"The guild's already closed." Happy replied.

"Oh… Well, if you guys don't have a place to stay, you can crash at our house tonight!" Natsu laughed.

"Actually, I wanted to be prepared, so I booked into an apartment already." Lucy said.

Sting turned to look at her incredulously, "Already?!"

"Yup, it's right over there." She pointed at the estate ahead of them, "It's a lot bigger than my last apartment and I'll actually be able to afford my rent!" She stretched her arms out and yawned, "It's getting pretty late… so I guess we'll see you guys tomorro—"

"Cool, let's go!" Natsu charged.

"Hey, wait for me!" Sting chased after him.

"Aye!" Happy quickly followed behind them.

"Ehh? You guys too?" Lucy sighed, but it warmed her heart when Sting's face lightened up with joy as he raced Natsu to her apartment.

She smiled, '_He finally opened up to us... He used to be so aggressive whenever someone was being kind to him, and he'd try to reject them as much as possible. He refused to trust anyone, but now… he's finally acting like a little kid!'_

Sting stumbled to reach the door before Natsu. He excitedly pumped his fists in the air when he got to the door first, unbeknownst that Natsu only pretended to pass out on the door steps.

"I beat Natsu-san!"

"You're really fast!"

'_He must have had a very tragic past...' _Sadness struck her face as she remembered the time when Sting told her about his parents. _'It must be a miracle that he can even smile again...'_

"...Lucy?" Happy waved his paw in front of her face.

She snapped back to reality, "Hmm… what? Oh sorry, did you say something?"

"Silly Lucy! We're waiting for you."

Lucy looked up to see Happy speaking to her. Sting and Natsu were watching her from the apartment. She quickly shook away her thoughts about Sting and waved to them, "Yeah, I'm coming!" She briskly walked towards the others and they excitedly entered her new apartment.

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.

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"They magically transferred all my personal belongings from my old apartment to this one!" Lucy explained as they entered the room. Sting had to admit that it was nicer than her previous apartment.

"It's much more spacious than before, and it's not so faraway from the guild!" Lucy entered her new bathroom, "Well… make yourselves at home, I guess. I just need to freshen up a bit." She said tiredly as she gently closed the door.

Just as she said, the three made themselves at home. Sting sat on one of the couches in the living room and watched Happy stuff himself into Lucy's wardrobe. He was deep in thought, until Natsu suddenly sat next to him.

"Hey, Sting," Natsu grinned, "Are you excited to join our guild?"

Sting forced a smirk. He wasn't sure how he felt about joining a guild. Someone like him wasn't as strong as Natsu. He wasn't capable of destroying even a fraction of an entire city. And he just felt so useless and helpless when he couldn't even protect Lucy from that 'Salamander'.

"…Yeah." He lied.

"Great! It's gonna be really fun working with someone as strong as you!"

Sting looked away from him, feeling ashamed. '_That's when you're wrong Natsu-san… I'm not strong at all…'_

Lucy was literally taking forever in the bathroom and Natsu was tired of waiting. He silently hoped that he and Sting could fight to pass some time, "So what kind of magic do you use?"

Natsu was slightly taken aback when he looked into his eyes. They had an empty, faraway look in them. "I… I don't like my magic." Sting's voice cracked.

Sting shuddered as fragments of the past flowed through his head: A loud deafening roar, vibrating in the air. A little boy crying softly, alone in the dark. Ripples cast into the mirror-like surface of a pond, reflecting a distorted smile…

Concerned, he placed a hand on his shoulder,"…Are you okay?"

"…" Sting stared at the ground.

Natsu punched himself mentally. He was good at fighting, but he wasn't the best at talking. He preferred to talk with fists, rather than words. This especially wasn't how he treated new friends. He didn't know him very well yet, but he could tell that something he had said had troubled him.

He tried cheering him up, "Lucy told me before that when she first found you, you were being beaten up by some thugs. She stepped in to save you, but she got into big trouble."

Natsu looked to see if he was listening, but to his dismay, Sting was still staring hard at the ground. He continued, "She said that when you saw her in danger, you instantly defeated the last thug with your magic."

Natsu felt a little relieved when Sting looked up at him. He had caught his attention.

"I'm sorry for asking… but when she told me how strong you were, I just got so fired up! She said it was unlike anything she had ever seen before!" Natsu exclaimed, "It almost sounded like you were trying not to use your magic."

Sting had a gleam of pride in his eyes. His ego flared, "They weren't so tough!" But, his eyes lowered to the ground again. He swore to himself before that he wouldn't use magic ever again. "…My magic hurts others. I don't like to use it."

Natsu gently took him by the shoulders, "You're a good person. You don't like to use magic for evil. Many people abuse their powers for selfish reasons, but Fairy Tail wizards use their magic to help others." He grinned, "I fight to protect other people because I don't want my friends to get hurt!"

Natsu's words resounded in his head. Sting didn't like hurting others with his magic, but he would do anything to protect the people he thought were important. Sting was deep in thought, until Natsu offered him his hand.

"Sting…" Natsu smiled at him, "Let's be friends!"

Sting blinked in surprise as Natsu held out his hand in front of him. Natsu wanted to be friends with him? He let out a small chuckle; it was more like the other way around. Sting looked deep inside of himself and felt his own dragon-slayer magic coursing through his veins, _To think I didn't even want this power… But if it's a power that will let me protect my friends, then…_

When Sting grasped his hand, Natsu felt immense magic power radiating from him. _I will use my magic to save my friends from danger!_ He looked at Natsu with a new determination. They shook hands, grinning at each other, "Yeah!"

.

.

Lucy dressed into her pajamas. She finally stepped out of her bathroom to find Natsu sitting in her desk, reading _her_ novel.

"Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" She screamed and kicked him away with all her might. She grabbed all her papers away and shoved them neatly into her drawer. She glared angrily at the poor dragon slayer impaled on her wall, "You can't read this! I-It's not good yet!"

She then heard a sudden, loud commotion coming from her wardrobe. A quick blue blur flew out of the drawer. Happy floated in the air, dressed up as some sort of super hero. He was wearing her socks as gloves, her pink sweater as a small cape, and a—OH GOD. He was using _her_ panties as a mask.

Her voice shook, "Happy…"

"I'm not Happy anymore, Lucy." He said seriously, hiding behind his small cape, "I am… **The Cat Fish**!"

Lucy ran towards the chuckling blue cat and jumped high into the air, "YOU DUMB CAT!" She kicked him into the ground. She thrashed him over and over again until her socks were knocked off… literally. She stood beside Happy's small, fidgeting body, huffing angrily.

When she turned to see Sting in the corner of the room, her whole entire body froze. Sting trembled. He was the only survivor left. When Lucy saw him dangling _her_ celestial gate keys in his hands, she snapped. Her vision went red. Sting was paralyzed with fear as she sprinted towards him, "KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

.

.

Lucy huffed in annoyance. They were touching her stuff without _her_ permission. Sure, she said to 'make themselves at home', but she literally felt like the only sane person in the room. She was still upset with Natsu reading her secret novel and Happy snooping around her clothes, but she would eventually get over that over time. If Sting broke her keys, she wouldn't know what to do.

She glared angrily at the bruised boy sitting opposite of her. He had an apologetic expression on his face and the way his bottom lip quivered was _so_ cute, but that kid was still too stubborn to say 'sorry'.

"...stupid blondie." Sting muttered.

Lucy didn't hear him, "From now on, everything in this room is Off-Limits!"

Natsu and Happy gulped. "…Aye." They said weakly.

"I didn't do anything wrong." Sting's lips tugged into a small pout.

"Then why were you touching my keys?"

He hesitated, "I... I wanted to see your new key thing."

Lucy blinked. She actually forgot that she had bought that new gate key. What amused her more was Sting's interest in her celestial spirits. She just thought that he was like those other two idiots randomly poking around her stuff. She giggled, "Well, all you had to do was ask. I would have gladly shown you!"

A small pink tinge crept on his cheeks. He looked away from her, trying to conceal his blush, "Tch…Whatever blondie."

'_So that was it.'_ She laughed, '_He was just too shy to ask!' _

"Well, I guess I can show you how contracts are made!" She winked, "You see, before I can summon a spirit, I must first make a contract with them… This is probably your first time seeing a contract made, huh?"

"A contract?" He asked.

"Oh, contracts are a lot like promises. I first negotiate with the spirit and go over certain conditions of when they can be used. Then we forge a pact, and I'll be able to summon them!"

"…What happens if you break your promise?"

Lucy pondered, "I… I really don't know. I never broke a single promise before—A celestial spirit mage never breaks her promises! But I can imagine that the contract between the spirit and bearer would disappear and they would go their separate ways..."

Sting's eyes widened, "So you never break any of your promises?"

"Nope," She smiled. Lucy waved the key of the lesser dog in her hand, "I guess I'll begin the contract now. Open—Gate of the Canis Minor, Nikora!"

A magic portal appeared and a shaking white creature with a carrot-like nose came out. Natsu and Happy's jaws dropped to the floor, "How is _that_ a dog?"

"I actually think it's cute!" She giggled, "Come here, Plue!"

"Puun, Puuun!" It stumbled towards her and they hugged.

Sting was fascinated by the small, white creature. He watched in amusement as they discussed their pact together. He kept her words in mind, _A celestial spirit mage never breaks her promises__..._

.

.

When Lucy finished making a contract with Plue, he was sent back to the spirit world. Lucy yawned again and told everyone it was time to sleep. She tried to kick Natsu and Happy out, but they wanted to stay. She just didn't have the energy to deal with them, so she let them sleep on the couch.

Lucy stepped into her bed. She invited Sting to sleep with her. She looked at him expectantly, "Well?"

Sting remembered the last time she slept next to him. "I'd rather sleep on the ground." He replied bluntly.

"Suit yourself." She tossed a pillow to him. She turned off the lights and covered herself with her blanket.

Sting went up to Natsu and Happy and laid his pillow on the ground next to them. "Natsu-san…" He whispered.

Natsu sat up, squinting at him. It was hard to see in the dark, "What's up?"

"…I trust you."

_What's this all of a sudden?_ Natsu wondered. He smiled, "Yeah, I trust you too." Natsu couldn't see Sting's face, but he saw him lay down on his pillow. Natsu yawned and did the same. He closed his eyes, and drifted to slumber.

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Sting alerted all of his dragon senses to the maximum. He listened for the rhythmical pattern of everyone's breathing. When he was sure they were all sound asleep, he carefully stood up, not making a single noise.

Sting quietly crept over to Lucy's bed. The moonlight shone through the glass, making her body glow in the dark. Her hair was again matted to her hair as she slept. Sting silently brushed aside her bangs and carefully observed her face: The smooth curves of her edges… The way her eyes were gently closed… How her mouth hung slightly open … and the lavender scent of her hair… He would remember it all. He would never forget her.

He stepped over to the window and gently opened it. He crouched onto the window sill. Sting looked back to see Natsu snoring on the couch with Happy snoozing beside him. "Natsu-san..." He murmured, "Take care of Lucy for me…"

Sting leaped out of the window and scaled up the wall. Once he climbed to the top of the apartment roof, he ran free in the cool night air. He jumped from roof top to roof top of the buildings below, remembering all the acts of kindness Lucy had shown him. She and Natsu changed him so much…

Once he jumped onto the rooftop of the tallest building and made his way to the highest point of the city, he looked up to see the stars twinkling in the night sky. He gazed over the city of Magnolia, looking down on all of the buildings until he finally spotted the Fairy Tail guild lying in the heart of the city.

His voice shook, "Lucy… From now on, I'm going to use my magic to help other people... I don't want to leave, but I need to become stronger... When I'm ready, I'll come back to see you guys again... If you keep your promises, then I'll keep mine... When you're in danger… I will be the one to protect you!" Sting shouted at the top of his lungs, "**It's a promise!**"

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**A/N: **So... how many people saw that coming? XD This chapter was the hardest thing for me to write in like forever! I'm sorry if you didn't like the ending or what-not. So Please REVIEW and let me hear your thoughts! :3 I like to know that people actually like reading my stories, it makes me feel happy.

Then one more thing: I have uploaded what Sting looks like as a kid on my profile! Feel free to check it out later~

Seeing massive Favorites/Follows/Reviews make me feel _'All Fired Up!' _(I never get tired of that!) XD


	4. Meaning of Birth

**A/N:** Hey Fanfiction! I'm sorry it takes me a while to update! And I'm Like REALLY amazed by how many people actually ike the story so far! :D I wasn't very confident in my writing but seeing those massive numbers changed my mind. You guys are awesome! And don't worry, I have no intention of abandoning this story! _so far..._

So for the next few chapters, I will be primarily focusing on Sting's journey so there won't be as many StiCy moments. But I promise there'll be more StiLu later on in the story! (Sorry to disappoint you)

Dear _Lucydragneel28_ and _bookworm-anime_: You guys should make profiles so that I can answer your questions and such via PM! And you'll be able to follow my story, so that you'll know whether or not I've updated too. XD It doesn't take much time to make one, so just consider it! ^-^ This goes out to all the other guests too.

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**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does.

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**LIGHT CASTS A SHADOW**

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**Chapter 4: MEANING OF BIRTH**

Flowers of all sorts of colours were blooming in the scenic town of Alterasia. A young girl, with light blue hair, rushed through the city.

Her heart was pounding as she soared past the old church building.

Her small legs were screaming in protest as they tried to catch up to her quick pace.

Her sorrow and regret and loneliness were eaten away by one emotion—rage.

"_It would be a shame if she were to lose this…"_ A childishly feminine voice laughed as the sound echoed in her ears.

**Don't you **_**dare**_**.**

"_I wouldn't want to make poor Yukino all upset…"_ The voice sounded sympathetic, but there was a small twisted joy hidden within the words.

Her amber-brown eyes filled with glass tears. Her anger and resolve had reached its peak.

"_She'd be completely devastated!"_

Yukino was speeding up the stone stairs, not even slowing down for her own safety. Adrenaline pumped in her veins, making her heart beat irregularly. She swiftly climbed up the steps with a boost of speed.

**Please—Don't…!**

Yukino had never been so angry or desperate before, in her whole life. For a sickening moment, just as she finally reached the top of the cliff, she froze. That girl, Eliza, was holding her blue rose hairpin over the sheer drop.

She tightly clenched her fists. Eliza… she may be psychotic, but she was taller, faster, and probably a bit older than her.

"_Oh look, the freak finally showed up~"_

"Please… give it back!" Yukino pleaded, "I'll do anything you want—it's very important to me!"

Eliza laughed bitterly in reply. The lunatic had her grimy hands on the dying flower, gripping it with a wide, toothy smile and a sinister gleam in her eye.

"_Oh… I understand. In that case, you can have it back, right away—whoops!"_ Eliza said sarcastically as she dropped the pin from the enormous height.

Time seemed to slow down as Yukino watched her hairpin fall from the ledge. Her heart started pounding madly.

**No! **_**No! NO!**_

Her body reacted by itself. With strength and courage that Yukino never knew she had, she smacked Eliza who gasped in surprise for her speed and fell to the ground, clutching at her cheek. The height was briefly forgotten in the chaos and Yukino dove off the cliff, reaching for the blue rose pin.

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_Almost… got it…_

Yukino was falling down the thousand-foot drop, reaching for her pin. The hairpin was right below her—its blue rose petals flowing gently in the wind—just within her range. Even though she could die from falling at this height, her mind was set on focusing on one thing: _She wouldn't lose her sister a second time._

She thrust her hands in front of her and caught the fragile flower. She heaved a sigh of relief and hugged the blue rose pin for warmth. As she was falling from the sky, the view was absolutely breathtaking and… beautiful. It was too bad she was falling to her death; otherwise she would have enjoyed it.

_**I guess I deserve this…**_

Everyone in the town despised her.

She always screwed up every single task, but she always tried her best.

She was constantly pestered by bullies, such as Eliza, but she'd try to ignore all their harmful words and put a smile on her face.

She was a very kind and cheerful girl who had no part in this world.

And she would accept that _fate_. She stared up at the clear, blue sky and imagined rising up as an angel like her sister always dreamt. She held the blue rose pin close to her heart as a small tear splashed onto its petals. Yukino closed her eyes and waited for herself to collide with the ground.

To her surprise—instead of crashing into the earth—she landed onto something warm, and not the solid, cold surface. Whatever it was had saved her life and she soon lost consciousness...

.

…

6 Years ago

…

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Year X778—

Town of Calypso—

"Yukino," Sorano grasped her hand, "RUN!"

A little girl, the age of 6, stood in the doorway of her home, traumatized. Strange people dressed in black came rushing into her village with strange masks hiding their faces. They claimed to be followers of Zeref and lit the whole town on fire. Tears poured down her face as she saw her parents sprawled against the wooden floor. Sorano took her hand and pulled her away from their house.

"Listen, we can't stop now! We must escape!"

"But Mommy and Daddy—"

"They're already gone…"

The two girls rushed past the burning houses. Sorano did her best to pull her sister through the intense heat, but she was beginning to feel very weak. Blazing embers danced through the air, igniting the whole town. She couldn't cry. If she looked pathetic in front of her younger sister, they both might just give up trying and end up getting captured like the _others_.

Loud cries and screams hung in the air. Most of the townspeople were already caught and trapped in cages. Children were separated from their parents and young men and women were brought forth to the ground.

"We need more slaves for the construction of the Tower of Heaven!" A voice echoed, "Grab all survivors! Kill any of the adults and elderly you find!"

More people were still fleeing the town, only to get caught by the masked followers of Zeref. They were brought forth to the center of the town immediately. Some villagers did try to fight back, but they were severely outnumbered and eventually exhausted of magic power. All of the town's entranceways were sealed away and there were virtually no means of escape.

Sorano held tightly onto Yukino's hand. She led her near a stream of water and found a small, wooden crate with just enough room to hide only one person. Sorano opened it up and took one last glimpse at her younger sister. Yukino was crying softly, staring at the ground, until Sorano suddenly gave her a warm hug.

"You have to escape," She smiled, "You're the only one left that I care about."

Yukino was at lost for words when Sorano removed her signature _blue rose pin_ and placed it in her hair. She gasped when Sorano shoved her into the small crate. Her voice wavered, "N-No—"

"Please… forgive your powerless sister. Those awful people surely won't find you here… and this crate only has enough room to hide one of us. I would rather have you live your life freely than to spend your life in a damp, filthy dungeon like a slave."

"I… I don't want to lose you—!"

"Please," Sorano's voice cracked as she gently closed the crate, "Make your way to freedom…"

Tears streamed down Yukino's face as she peeked through a tiny hole in the crate to find Sorano with her back turned. One of Zeref's followers had spotted her, "I found a survivor!"

Yukino could only watch in horror as they quickly surrounded her sister. There was no way for her to escape. One of them kicked Sorano to the ground and they bounded her with shackles. They were already treating her sister so cruelly and she felt so helpless when she couldn't do anything to stop them.

"S…Stop," Yukino whimpered. She wanted to break out of the box and save Sorano, but it was as if she was glued in the same position. She was consumed by _fear_. She was blinded by her tears, but little did she know that as her sister was being dragged away... Sorano was looking back right at her, smiling to herself.

_You are a very innocent girl who didn't deserve any of this. Please… continue living the rest of your life like an angel…_

.

…

Back to the Present

…

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"Dammit… Wake up!" Sting grit his teeth.

It has been two weeks since he had left on his journey to become stronger. As he was training in the middle of the forest, he saw a little girl—maybe a year younger than him—dive off of a cliff. He sprinted past the trees and caught her in his arms right before she came into contact with the ground.

…_Is she dead?_ Sting asked himself as he laid her onto a rock. She had light blue hair and was wearing a white frill dress. She was clenching something blue in her hand. He heaved a sigh of relief, _No, she's still breathing!_

He couldn't help but wonder what the hell that girl was thinking when she jumped off of that cliff. The thought of killing yourself bothered him. That girl wasn't trying to kill herself, right? He was deep in thought when she woke up.

"Wh-where am I…" She looked a little confused.

"You're finally awake… you're in the East Forest." He eyed her, "You, okay?"

"I…I'm fine. I'm sorry for worrying you." Yukino smiled. Her smile quickly turned upside down. She completely forgot about her hairpin. She stood up and frantically searched her surroundings. When she realized she had it in her hand, she calmed down.

It was Sting's turn to be confused. "Why did you jump off of that cliff?"

"..." She was afraid to answer his question.

In the girl's hands was a hairpin decorated with a blue rose. "What is that?" He asked.

"…It's my sister's memento," She said sadly as her gaze met his, "It's the only thing I have left to remember her by. She gave it to me before she was taken away…"

He blinked. "Taken away?"

Sting's eyes widened as he noticed the pain flickering in her eyes for a moment. "…Strange people invaded my home when I was very young… They said something about needing slaves for some sort of construction… I can't remember it all too well, but they killed my parents and took my sister with them…"

When Yukino saw that her little story had made Sting crestfallen, she immediately stood up and bowed her head, "I'm sorry for troubling you!"

"Wh-why are you apologizing? It's my fault; I shouldn't have asked."

She laughed a bit nervously, "Hehehe.. sorry... Um, thanks for saving me."

"Just don't do stupid things like that," He grinned, "My name's Sting. What's yours?"

Yukino was very surprised to see Sting holding out his hand in front of her. No one her age had ever been kind to her before. She hesitantly reached for his hand, afraid that he was going to pull it away from her at the last moment. But when their hands gripped together firmly, she smiled. "I'm Yukino Aguria."

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Sting fumed as they walked under the entranceway of her town, Alterasia, "So you jumped off because one of your _friends_ threw your sister's memento down the cliff?!"

The blue rose pin bobbed up and down in her hair, "…Yes."

"Someone like that isn't your friend!"

"Hehehe, so you're on a journey to become stronger so you can join Fairy Tail?" Her eyes widened as she quickly changed the subject.

"Yeah, it's no big deal." Sting looked away, slightly embarrassed.

"…I wish I could do that."

"Then why don't you?"

Sting's question struck her. _Why didn't she?_ "I… I don't know." She answered quickly.

As the two kids wandered around her town, she was beginning to warm up to him little by little. For some reason, being around Sting made her feel happy. Before, she would have had a ghost of a smile implanted on her face to mask the pain of her loneliness—but now—she was smiling to express true happiness.

Yukino was laughing when Sting was telling her the adventures he had after he met Lucy Heartfilia. It touched her heart when he told her that he wanted to protect his friends. When they absent-mindedly wandered into a dark alleyway, she froze.

"…" She became dead silent.

"Hey, are you okay?" He asked. Yukino was shaking uncontrollably, trembling in fear. Her eyes became shadowed by her hair.

"Go away." Her voice was stoic.

His hands shifted uncomfortably in his pockets, "Wha—?"

"Leave me alone." Her voice became louder.

"Yukino..."

"I don't want to see you _ever_ again." She yelled, and she ran away leaving him alone in the dark in confusion.

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Yukino sprinted into the old, abandoned church building. She was panting heavily as she walked into the dark corridor. Children emerged from the shadows and completely surrounded her. When she saw the traces of magic in that alleyway, she knew that they were looking for her. She felt bad for telling Sting to go away, but she didn't want her new friend to get hurt because of her. She was crying when she lied about never wanting to see him again.

A familiar voice rung in her ears, "_Well look who finally decided to show up~"_ Eliza appeared before her, smiling deviously, "_It's the sick little bitch that had the nerve to strike me._"

Yukino saw that Eliza's cheek was blistering red. She looked at the ground, "…I'm sorry—"

Eliza smacked her across the face. The impact was so strong that Yukino was launched into the wall. The kids started erupting with laughter. The look on her face was just priceless.

"_You really had that coming. Why couldn't you just die when you jumped off of that cliff?"_ She giggled, "_Poor little Yukino… you're as tenacious as a cockroach! You keep crawling back here no matter how many times you get squashed._"

"…" She remained silent.

"_You're pathetic." _She walked up to her, preparing to smash her skull with her heel, until a piercing bright light flashed in the poorly-lit room. Everyone's eyes were adjusted to the dark, that the sudden light momentarily blinded everyone.

"Aaah!" Yukino rubbed her eyes, to see Sting standing right in front of her with his back turned. He was facing Eliza and the others. She thought that she would never see him again. She was so happy that he was here, that she cried. "S…Sting-sama!"

"Leave her alone." He said darkly.

Eliza and the other kids backed off. Sting just sounded so dangerous when he threatened them. Eliza noticed that there were ten of them, only one of him. She laughed, "_Aw, that's so cute! Poor little Yukino is getting from help from a—_"Eliza stopped when she noticed that they weren't even paying attention to her "_Hey, are you guys even listening to me?!"_

"Is she the one who threw your sister's memento down the cliff?" He asked.

"Yes." She nodded.

Yukino never saw Sting so angry before. The only person to have ever stood up for her was her older sister, Sorano. She gaped when she saw him face-to-face with Eliza. Eliza cowered as Sting towered over her. In her eyes, Sting looked as ferocious as a dragon—No... He _was_ a dragon.

"Listen." He glared at her, "I'm not always like this, but when it comes to the matter of protecting my friends, their honour, and their hearts, **do not** trifle with me... For I am the most powerful and relentless creature you will ever know." Eliza was paralyzed with fear when Sting smirked at her, "And that's a promise."

.

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"Sting, I'm sorry for worrying you. I'm being a burden to you again, aren't I?" Yukino bowed her head as they walked out of the town.

Sting sighed in annoyance, "What are you talking about? You're the one who was suffering. Stop apologizing."

"Okay, I'm sorry. And… is this really okay?" She peered at him, "For me to come along?"

"Yeah, we're friends remember?" He grinned, "It'll be more fun with the two of us!"

Yukino laughed. She wasn't alone anymore. She finally had a friend! She looked back at her beautiful town, bathing in the sunset, _I wanna go on a journey with Sting. …So that someday, I'll be able to find my sister!_

* * *

**A/N: **Let's make this clear—before anybody yells at me—there won't be any StingxYukino, they're just friends. There will be plenty of StiCy moments later on.

And, I'm sorry if you didn't like the ending. I just didn't know what else to put e.e

Yukino actually does have a sister named Sorano! But most of you know her as somebody else *_hint*hint_* You guys can just look her up if you don't know who she really is. I did a lot of research on Yukino and her background, so I hope I nailed her_ hehe_. I uploaded her picture on my profile~

So thank you guys sooo much for following, favoriting, and reviewing (It means a lot)! It definitely makes me feel _'All Fired Up!' _XD I would love to hear your thoughts and reactions on this chapter, so please review! :3 Your comments make me insanely happy and any ideas for future chapters would be awesome!

D-Did you like it?


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